Last winter, several months after long-time Côte Saint-Luc resident Alexandre Look was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7,  I got a call from Mayor Mitchell Brownstein. He and his wife Elaine knew the Look family very well as their eldest son Andrew grew up with Alex.

“How can we properly honor Alex’s memory,” the mayor asked,

As the city councillor responsible for Toponymy  (Naming Opportunities), I immediately zeroed in on a large piece of greenspace in my District 2, sandwiched between Bialik High School and Beth Chabad CSL. We had been looking for  a name there for a few years.  Sadly, this was the perfect match. Alex had attended Bialik and he also frequented Beth Chabad CSL.

Members of Council, the Alain and Raquel Look and other special guests unveil the sign.

Alexandre Look grew up in Côte Saint-Luc, attended Bialik High School, was a frequent visitor at the Parkhaven Pool, the Cavendish Mall, and played numerous sports. As a child, Alex was very protective of his younger sister Kayla, and as he grew, he would extend that sense of duty to protect all those in need.  

On Monday night, September 9 (the eve of what would have been his 34th birthday), we formally dedicated Alexandre Look Place.  Our Director of Public Works Beatrice Newman prepared the grounds beautifully. Associate City Manager Tanya Abramovitch met with the family and ensured the property was adequately prepared. And Darryl Levine, our Director Public Affairs and Communications, handled the branding, signage and wording on the inscription on the large plaque.

I will share below the wording expertly pieced together by Darryl.

Alexandre Look grew up in Cote Saint-Luc, attended Bialik High School, was a frequent visitor at the Parkhaven Pool, the Cavendish Mall, and played numerous sports. As a child, Alex was very protective of his younger sister Kayla, and as he grew, he would extend that sense of duty to protect people in need. He had numerous friends and coached many to achieve direction in their lives. 

A beautiful flower display surrounds the plaque. Some of these flowers were brought back from Israel. The red anemone is the national flower of israel and it blooms in the south. So it is used on all memorials for victims of Oct 7.

Alex had a larger-than-life presence, with unmatched charisma and generosity leaving a mark not only on the community, but the many places he would travel and live. A real bon-vivant with an entrepreneurial spirit, he spoke six languages and was a gifted a salesman, eventually opening his own cosmetics shops in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  

Alex was immensely proud of his Jewish heritage and would visit Israel during the summer months. During his trip in 2023, Alex extended his stay to attend the Supernova Music Festival in the Negev desert of southern Israel. When hundreds of rockets were fired from Gaza in the early morning of October 7, Alex and his friends sought urgent refuge in a bomb shelter nearby at Kibbutz Be'eri, where nearly 40 others were hiding. Hamas terrorists soon arrived and began firing indiscriminately on civilians. Without hesitation, Alex placed himself at the entrance of the shelter, putting himself in harm’s way to protect friends and strangers alike. When a terrorist tried to enter, Alex fought the attacker and was murdered using his body as a shield to save others. Miraculously, eight people survived due to his act of bravery.  

There was a large crowd on hand.

Alex’s ultimate act of heroism stands as a testament to his unyielding spirit and lifelong dedication to others. His fearless protection of friends and strangers and his legacy of compassion serve as powerful reminders of his remarkable life and the enduring impact of his heroism. His memory will live on in the countless lives he touched and forever inspire strength and unity in our community and beyond. 

The City of Côte Saint-Luc mourns the loss of Alexandre Look and the numerous innocent lives lost on that tragic day. 

“This was home to Alex in all of its formative years,” said Mayor Brownstein.

Israel’s Consul General Paul Hirschson admitted that he did not know Alex, yet he has become intimately familiar with him over the past 11 months via  his parents Alain and Raquel. “”We mourn Alex and we celebrate him at the same time.”

Cantor Danny Belolo performs a memorial prayer.

Mount Royal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather  was in British Columbia at  party caucus, but he sent a message in which he told the parents “ your son was a hero. You know that already. But it needs to be repeated.”

D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA Elisabeth Prass added  “those lives Alex saved by being a human shield showed the values he was raised with.”

Alain Look told me that he and his wife recently moved back to Côte Saint-Luc. “I think Alex was looking over, telling us to make this move,” he said.

Added Raquel: “This is a place that holds profound significance  to our family.  This represents more than just a greenspace. This place will serve as a beacon of hope.”

Federation CJA President and CEO Yair Szlak, a stalwart in the community since the October 7 attacks, said “we still have not had a chance to mourn what happened on October 7.”

You can watch the entire ceremony here

The Gazette

https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/friends-travel-from-around-the-world-as-cote-st-luc-honours-alexandre-look

CTV News

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video/c2990891-alexandre-look-memorialized-with-park?binId=1.1332485

CBC News

https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6505357

City News

https://montreal.citynews.ca/2024/09/09/alexandre-look-place-cote-st-luc/

Alexandre (Coco) Abraham Look 

1990–2023 

Alexandre Look a grandi à Côte Saint-Luc, où il a fréquenté l’école secondaire Bialik. On le voyait souvent à la piscine Parkhaven et au mail Cavendish, et il participait à beaucoup d’activités sportives. Enfant, Alex était très protecteur à l'égard de sa jeune sœur Kayla et, en grandissant, il a étendu ce sens du devoir à la protection des personnes dans le besoin. Il avait de nombreux amis et en a accompagné plusieurs pour qu’ils trouvent un sens à leur vie. 

Alex avait une présence plus grande que nature. Son charisme et sa générosité inégalés ont laissé une trace non seulement dans la communauté, mais aussi dans les nombreux endroits où il a voyagé et vécu. Véritable bon vivant à l'esprit d'entreprise, il parlait six langues et était un vendeur hors pair, qui avait fini par ouvrir ses propres boutiques de cosmétiques à Cabo San Lucas, au Mexique. 

Alex était extrêmement fier de ses origines juives et il aimait se rendre en Israël pendant l’été. Pendant son voyage en 2023, Alex a prolongé son séjour pour assister au festival de musique Supernova dans le désert du Negev, dans le sud d’Israël. Lorsque des centaines de roquettes ont été tirées depuis Gaza au petit matin du 7 octobre, Alex et ses amis se sont réfugiés d'urgence dans un abri anti-bombes situé à proximité, au kibboutz Be'eri, où se cachaient près de 40 autres personnes. Les terroristes du Hamas sont arrivés rapidement et ont commencé à tirer sans discrimination sur les civils. Sans hésiter, Alex s’est placé à l’entrée de l’abri, se mettant en danger pour protéger des amis autant que des étrangers. Quand un terroriste a tenté d'entrer, Alex a combattu l'attaquant et il a été tué en utilisant son corps comme bouclier pour sauver d'autres personnes. Par miracle, huit personnes ont survécu grâce à son acte de bravoure.  

L’ultime acte d’héroïsme d’Alex témoigne de sa détermination et de son dévouement aux autres tout au long de sa vie. Sa protection téméraire d'amis et d'étrangers et son héritage de compassion sont autant de rappels de sa vie remarquable et de l'impact durable de son héroïsme. Son souvenir restera gravé dans les innombrables vies qu'il a touchées et inspirera à jamais la force et l'unité au sein de notre communauté et au-delà. 

La Ville de Côte Saint-Luc pleure la perte d'Alexandre Look et des nombreuses vies innocentes perdues lors de cette journée tragique. 

Last week I had the pleasure to address the Côte Saint-Luc Men’s Club. There were about 30 people on hand at the Aquatic and Community Centre and another 80 or so watching online. With 770 members this is one well-oiled machine.

Anthony Housefather

I touched on many topics which I will elaborate on later in this piece. But let me fast forward to the question period and the discussion I had with members when I departed. Many of the individuals wanted my take on the Federal Liberal Party, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and our Mount Royal Liberal Member of Parliament Anthony Housefather. These days they are all facing a common among Jewish residents of the riding in particular: not wanting to cast their vote in favor of Trudeau.

The next federal election is not expected to be held until the fall of 2025 as long as the NDP continues to blackmail the Liberals for their support. Billions of our dollars are being poured into NDP-supported programs like pharma care and dental care in order to ensure the Liberals do nor lose a vote of confidence. I am not saying that either of the NDP initiatives are bad for the population. However, with a bulging deficit can we really afford them at this time?

With Charles Eklove and Bernie Green after my address to the Men's Club.

So what do people in Mount Royal do if Trudeau sticks around as leader? Do they still support Housefather, who is probably the best MP we’ve ever had? He was mayor of Côte Saint-Luc for 10 years, my first decade on council, so I know him well. Anthony thinks of his constituents first. He was never Trudeau’s choice for the Mount Royal nomination. Yet he beat his competitor handily. Mount Royal traditionally became the home of a cabinet minister. Both the late Sheila Finestone and Irwin Cotler were accorded those honors; not Anthony.

When the Liberals adopted new language legislation Bill C-13 last spring by a 301-1 to vote, Housefather was the only dissenter. That drew praise from his constituents. Rightfully so, he insisted that the federal bill took a wrong turn by referring to Bill 101, Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, which was extensively overhauled via Bill 96, our controversial law that toughens French language rules.

Justin Trudeau

Soon after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, followed by the war in Gaza, Housefather became an instant spokesperson for the Jewish State. While Trudeau has tried to walk a fine line between the Israeli and Palestinian positions, he has failed to satisfy either side. Housefather has found himself consistently speaking out against his own party. The straw that broke the camel’s back came when the NDP proposed a motion in the House of Commons calling on Canada to recognize the "State of Palestine." While a much watered-down position passed, only the Federal Conservative Party and three Liberals – Housefather, Marco Mendicino and Ben Carr- voted against it.

Housefather subsequently went public about how this left him feeling "isolated" and he is now "reflecting" on his place within caucus.

At the Men’s Club I was asked specifically why Housefather would not cross the floor and join the Conservatives. Leader Pierre Poilievre may have his faults, but like his predecessor Stephen Harper he supports Israel to the highest level. Over the last few months he has been visiting Montreal-area synagogues. His chief lieutenant Melissa Lantsman, accompanied by longtime Tory insider Neil Drabkin, was making the rounds last week. She is Jewish and the reception she received was warm. If Trudeau stays on, the Tories think they can take Mount Royal.

Now that Housefather has opened the door to reflecting on his future with the Liberals, and hanging his hat on the Israel issue, I believe his constituents would applaud a move to the Tories, Poilievre is going to win the next federal election. If Housefather makes the move now, he would all but be assured of being named to the cabinet – a dream come true.

I am sure this is a terribly difficult decision for Housefather to make. He has been a lifelong Liberal. But is this the same party that he first joined? Now is the time for his constituents to speak up. If enough of them tell him to cross the floor, maybe he will. I for one would strongly recommend it.

Let me conclude with some comments about my Men’s Club appearance. Thanks to President Charles Eklove and director Bernie Green for inviting me. My topic was A Man With Many Hats: City Councillor, Journalist and Education Sector Communications Official.

I touched upon my role with the English Montreal School Board and our battles with the Quebec government over Bills 21, 40 and 96; the constant attacks on the English community by the CAQ government; the lackluster performance of the provincial Liberals and our need to give the Canadian Party of Quebec some support for speaking up for us; The Suburban Newspaper and the important role it continues to play in the community; COVID-19 and the fact that if you feel sick these days up to date rapid tests are impossible to find and nobody seems to care about spreading germs to others any more; the local restaurant scene; and an update from Côte Saint-Luc city council.

Thanks again to the Men’s Club for having me. This is one influential voting bloc and there is no question, I’d say, that most of them would like to see Housefather free from the Trudeau regime. We shall see.

Bravo to the husband and wife team of Luis Grinhauz on violin and Berta Rosenohl on piano  of Musica Camerata for the wonderful concert they put on Sunday at the Harold Greenspon Auditorium in Côte Saint-Luc.

There was no admission charge, but people were asked to give donations as they entered in support of the children of Ashkelon, Israel. That is Côte Saint-Luc’s twin city which has been the victim of countless rocket attacks from Hamas terrorists in Gaza.

Luis and Berta perform.

Luis and Berta performed some Hanukkah songs as well as pieces from the likes of Fritz Kreisler, Felix Mendelssohn, Enrique Granados, Jan Sibelius, Johanne Brahms, Maria Theresia Von Paradis, John Williamsm Astor Piazzolla, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaichovsky and Bedrich Smetana.

Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, First Lady Elaine and their grandson were in attendance.

Married since the 1960s, Luis and Berta established Musica Camerata more than 50 years ago. Luis is from Argentina’s Entre Ríos Province, where Polish and Russian Jews found haven on farms and ranches after fleeing pogroms. Berta is from Buenos Aires. Both chose to study in the United States, at Indiana University. They arrived in Quebec in 1970, when Luis joined the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. I am proud to say that the couple are District 2 constituents of mine.

If you’d like to contribute to the Ashkelon fund go to https://cotesaintluc.org/Ashkelon

Deborah E. Lipstadt, described by Mount Royal Liberal MP Anthony Housefather as the foremost expert on antisemitism in the world, made a private visit to Côte Saint-Luc City Hall on December 7. On March 30, 2022, she was confirmed by the United States Senate as the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, with the rank of Ambassador.

Lipstadt lights the Chanukah menorah with Mayor Brownstein, Mayor Levi and Councillor Sidney Benizri.

It was Housefather who arranged this extraordinary opportunity. He joined the meeting via Zoom, with many Parliamentary votes pending in Ottawa. Also in attendance were Mayor Mitchell Brownstein, some members of city council, Hampstead Mayor Jeremy Levi, Beth Zion Congregation President Charles Benedek, Montreal West Councillor Lauren Small-Pennefather, EMSB Commissioner Jamie Fabian, representatives for Housefather and D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA Elisabeth Prass, Montreal  filmmaker Beverly Shaffer (who confided she was Lipstadt's former college roommate) and several officials from the United States Embassy and Consulate. Bravo to our Director of Public Affairs and Communications Darryl Levine for the role he played in coordinating the gathering.

Housefather said he is calling upon the Canadian Heritage Committee to create a Task Force on Antisemitism at university campuses. He wants to see university presidents called to Parliament Hill and grilled.

Mayor Brownstein gave a preview of our city’s impending action plan against antisemitism. “It takes a lot of people at all levels of government to make this happen,” he says. “And it can’t just be the Jewish community.”

Lipstadt told the group that she had lunch at what she called a “Jewish deli in Montreal” that for years has placed a Chanukah menorah in its window. They did not do so this year, she confided, afraid of what the response might be.

“You are aware,” she said, “that we are seeing a tsunami of antisemitism. University leaders are at a loss. They don’t know what to do. For too many years university campuses did not take antisemitism seriously.”

Since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel and the ensuing war, Lipstadt said she has travelled the globe. “In every cases governments are taking this seriously,” she said. “It does not mean they are doing the right thing."

Lipstadt is a decorated scholar of antisemitism through history. She famously prevailed against Holocaust denier David Irving in a years-long trial in British courts. But even she said she is taken aback by the vitriol that has spiked after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, which the Israeli government has called the biggest single-day killing of Jews since the Holocaust. “I find myself gobsmacked, flabbergasted,” she told the Washington Post recently. “ And I don’t flabbergast easily. You can’t be a scholar of the Holocaust and be surprised by things. And yet even I have a hard time. I don’t want to say uncomprehending, because I can comprehend, but I have a hard time absorbing all that’s going on.”

Lipstadt says she wishes to use the power of her office to draw attention to the issue and to push other governments to stay vigilant about protecting their Jewish populations. “We take this seriously,” she remarked. “Jews may not seem to present as other victims of religious ethnic, racial bigotry present, but it is to be taken seriously. So I think that that’s one of the messages that I transmit, that the United States government, this administration and previous administrations, both sides of the aisle of Congress, rarely do we get to use the word bipartisan concern, you know, but certainly on this issue, there is bipartisan concern.”

Many years ago, on a Jewish National Fund (JNF) mission to Israel, our leader Yaacov Perez agreed to make a stop in Ashkelon. Since some of us were from Côte Saint-Luc, we wanted to see for ourselves our twin city in Israel. It was a very special experience.

When war broke out in Israel on October 7, following the horrific Hamas terrorist attack, rockets were fired into the Jewish State and many hit structures in Ashkelon. It is only 13 km north of the Gaza Strip. A story in the Christian Science Monitor notes that since October 7, some 1,300 Hamas rockets have been fired at Ashkelon, with 200 of them falling in the city area. It has been an “absolute miracle” that only two people died under rocket fire, considering that 25,000 of its 158,000 residents have no access to bomb shelters.

A scene of destruction in Ashkelon.

On Sunday, December 10 (2 pm) a   Hope and Harmony  fundraising concert will take place in tour Greenspon Auditorium to help support the children of Ashkelon during these difficult times so that they can continue with school in this time of war. Performing will be Musica Camerata, headed by my constituents Luis Grinhauz and Berta Rosenohl.

Registration is required for the event. You can register and donate online here: http://www.CoteSaintLuc.org/event and scroll down to December 10. Or just donate at https://cotesaintluc.org/Ashkelon

There is no question that following the terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel last week, Jews around the world have been feeling frightened  and vulnerable. Côte Saint-Luc has the largest Jewish population per capita in the province and we have many community institutions.

On Friday, October 13, Jewish communities were reacting to a threat by Hamas for a Global Jihad. No such incidents took place, but nonetheless our city was very much on alert.

Our Public Safety team meets with the leadership from Beth Chabad CSL..

A big thanks to the team at Police Station 9,  our Public Safety Department and the Volunteer Citizens on Patrol (VCOPs). They have been extremely present and visible, meeting with religious leaders and businesses. Côte Saint-Luc resident Yair Szlak is the president and CEO of Federation CJA. He has shown tremendous leadership in that position through so many crisis situations over the years and these past few days have been no difference. Listen to his latest podcast

"An impressive number of resources have been deployed in the hope of restoring some sense of security," notes CSL Public Safety Director Philip Chateauvert. "The objective remains the same: to provide sufficient security for community members and organizations to feel comfortable in maintaining their usual activities.

I would also like to share some words from Rabbi Zolly Claman, the spiritual leader for Congregation Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem.

"There are no words that can properly describe our pain and anguish for the current national crisis and disaster," stated Rabbi Claman. "Anyone who has close family and friends in Israel right now has heard firsthand accounts that are far more tragic than our minds can imagine.  On Har Herzl, my niece comforted her close friend and classmate as she witnessed her older brother being laid to rest.  On her yishuv, my sister watched as every strong-abled man was ushered out to join the front lines in battle. We mourn the loss of each of the hundreds of precious and our souls whose lives were brutally cut short."

Il ne fait aucun doute qu'à la suite de l'attaque terroriste perpétrée par le Hamas en Israël la semaine dernière, les Juifs du monde entier se sont sentis effrayés et vulnérables. Côte Saint-Luc a la plus grande population juive par habitant de la province et nous avons de nombreuses institutions communautaires.

Le vendredi 13 octobre, les communautés juives ont réagi à la menace d'un Jihad mondial proférée par le Hamas. Aucun incident de ce genre n'a eu lieu, mais notre ville était néanmoins en état d'alerte.

Notre équipe de sécurité publique rencontre les dirigeants de Beth Chabad CSL.

Un grand merci à l'équipe du poste de police 9, à notre service de sécurité publique et aux citoyens volontaires en patrouille (VCOP). Ils ont été extrêmement présents et visibles, rencontrant les chefs religieux et les entreprises. Yair Szlak, résident de Côte Saint-Luc, est le président-directeur général de la Fédération CJA. Il a fait preuve d'un leadership remarquable à ce poste dans de nombreuses situations de crise au fil des ans, et ces derniers jours n'ont pas fait exception à la règle. Écoutez son dernier podcast

"Un nombre impressionnant de ressources ont été déployées dans l'espoir de rétablir un certain sentiment de sécurité", note le directeur de la sécurité publique de la CSL, Philip Chateauvert. "L'objectif demeure le même : assurer une sécurité suffisante pour que les membres de la communauté et les organisations se sentent à l'aise de poursuivre leurs activités habituelles.

On the  final swing of a  cross-Canada tour for the Jewish National Fund,  the Mayor of a small  Israeli town only one kilometer from the Gaza Strip spoke at the Tifereth Beth David Jerusalem Congregation in Côte Saint-Luc.

Sidney Benizri, myself, Anthony Housefather, Mayor Brownstein, Mayor Davidi,  David Birnbaum, Dida Berku, David Tordjman and  Dorel Abramovitz.

Alon Davidi, the Mayor of Sderot, has been travelling across the country with his Director of Resource Development  Dorel Abramovitz in order to share the town’s story, as well as to raise money for a Zoo-therapy centre for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)  victims. I was among the members of city council, along with Mayor Mitchell Brownstein,  D’Arcy McGee Liberal MNA  David Birnbaum, Mount Royal Liberal Member of Parliament Anthony Housefather, Israel Consul General David Levy and other dignitaries at a cocktail with the Mayor. This was followed by a talk open to the public.

Mayor Davidi and his wife Nurit  have seven children. Born in Be'er Sheva, he studied at the Benny Wolfson Yeshiva in the city and later at the Karnei Shomron hesder yeshiva. BA in Education and MA in Administration and Public Policy. He arrived in Sderot 22 years ago. He taught for two years at the local high school and managed the hesder yeshiva in Sderot, served as advisor to the Minister of Housing Effie Eitam and founded the "Headquarters for the Security of Sderot,"which worked hard to restore security to the residents of Sderot. He was elected to the city council in 2008 and since 2013 serves as mayor of Sderot.  

JNF  Montreal Executive Director Galith Levy presents a Habs shirt to the mayor.

Over the years Sderot has been pounded by missile attacks fired from Gaza. A town of  28,000 people against a Hamas-controlled terrorist territory which is home to 1.7  million. It is hard to believe that despite this danger and the necessity to consistently hide in bomb shelters, people keep flocking to live there.  The Mayor estimated  that by 2025 he expects  the population to swell past 50,000.

The incidents of PTSD in  Sderot are alarming – 80 percent of kids are victims. The Mayor spoke about one of his children and how the attacks  affected her. It was the animal assisted therapy program which finally broke her out of her shell. The new Resilience Centre they are building will cost $1.5 million. When they  arrived in Canada  they were $465,000 short of their goal. Donations via JNF Canada are being solicited.

“It’s very tough,”  the Mayor said. “Hamas wants to destroy not only Sderot, but all Israel.”

A captain in the IDF, the Mayor expressed the community’s gratitude to Israel’s military for protecting the city. “We continually visited soldiers and gave them food, clothing, everything,” he declared.

There is presently only one Reslience Centre in Sderot  and it does not have the capacity to serve all the children that need treatment. “It’s not enough, it’s never enough,” said Abramovitz. “The city of Sderot is working alongside JNF to create another Resilience Center that can serve the entire Gaza envelope."

Much of the development that has taken place in Sderot over the past 15 years has been in spite of the efforts of Hamas to tear down their city and force the people out. "I think the fact that our city is growing and thriving is a counter to their attacks,” said Abramovitz.

Bravo to JNF for organizing the tour. It is too bad more Montrealers did not attend this interesting talk.

It has only been two weeks since Ziv Nevo Kulman arrived in Montreal as Israel’s Consul General for Quebec and the Atlantic Provinces and he has already discovered what a special place Côte Saint-Luc is. He spent Yom Kippur at the home of a noted resident of our community, attending services at a few local shuls. On Monday, October 6 I invited him to City Hall to meet with Mayor Anthony Housefather and members of council.

The Consul General, attired in his new CSL cap, with the mayor and members of council.

The Consul General's predecessor, Joel Lion, actually rented a home in Côte Saint-Luc for three years. He and his wife have eight children, so that about explains it. Nevo Kulman does not have a family here with him and will reside near the Consulate in Westmount. "I feel among family here," he told us. "Although I will not be living in Côte Saint-Luc, you can be sure I will be coming here a lot."

The Consul General makes a point.

About 70 percent of Côte Saint-Luc's population of 33,000 is Jewish. We have a tremendous Israeli spirit (not to mention many native Israelis). On Yom Ha'atzmaut we fly Israeli flags along Cavendish Boulevard. Our sister city in Israel is Ashkelon, the site of shellings from Hamas in the recent war. We initiated a fundraising campaign to assist them. Last summer our mayor won seven medals at the Maccabiah Games in Tel Aviv.

The Consul General has chosen a truly unique way of introducing himself to the community via this slick YouTube video.

Watch the video. It is a fabulous introduction of the man.

I provided the Consul General with a brief tour of our public library and he was thoroughly impressed.

Côte Saint-Luc had a distinct honour the past three years as charismatic Joel Lion, the Israeli Consul General for Quebec and the Maritimes, chose our community to reside. He and his wife Rivka rented a home in CSL, which became the official residence.

Here is my blog on The Suburban Newspaper website about Mr. Lion and his thoughts on his term here.

Related articles

CSL well represented at Israel Day Rally

Côte Saint-Luc Mayor Anthony Housefather (pictured poolside below) has been proudly representing Canada at the Maccabiah Games (a.k.a. the Jewish Olympics) in Israel. As a member of the Canadian master's swim team, he has won seven medals : five silvers in the 100 and 400  metre butterfly, the 50 metre backstroke, open water and  the medley relay .  He also captured a bronze in the 200 metre freestyle while being part of relay team which also captured a bronze.

“My times have been generally very good and very pleased,” said the mayor, who missed a gold by four tenths of a second in the 400 metre freestyle.

The final  tally from the pool is eight medals (five individual silvers, one individual bronze and two relay bronze. Clearly the mayor is Canada’s answer to Michael Phelps.  “Our team manager believes this was the most medals won by a Canadian in the games so far so very pleased,” the mayor added.

Here is some more Maccabiah Games news:

Gold in Metula: It was a golden day for Canadian Men's Hockey. The Men's Junior team won their gold medal match over USA 3-2, while the Canadian Men's Open Team won their gold medal game 7-1 over Team USA. Canadians Men's Open Captain Adam Henrich was named player of the tournament on the Mens Open side, while Canadian Junior goaltender Mark Michaels was named player of the tournament on the junior side.

Men's Volleyball: In the gold medal game in Modi'in, Canada fell to Israel in straight sets (3-0). The guys fought hard, but in the end the U-21 team (for the most part) from Israel was just too strong. The pro-Canadian crowd - our rugby, Jr. girls volleyball, Jr. boys baseball teams and hundreds of other Canadians were in attendance — definitely showed their support with chants of CA-NA-DA filling the gym throughout the match. The team's showing was the best finish by a Canadian men's volleyball team in Maccabiah Games history.

Master's Tennis: The wins kept coming for Canada on the tennis courts yesterday. In Masters Singles, Sherry Buller finished off her Russian opponent to set herself up with a Gold medal match on Sunday. Bram Faber dominated his match and will go for Gold on Sunday as well. In Mixed Doubles, Sherry Buller was at it again and did not disappoint. She and her partner Adam Fisher won 2 consecutive matches to bring home another Gold medal for Canada.

Silver on the Diamond. After an epic win against Israel in the semi-finals the day before, Canada's Junior Boys Baseball team came up short against USA in the gold medal game losing 9-0. The boys had a great tournament and the crowd at yesterday's game was definitely proud of their silver medal accomplishment.

Soccer Update: The Open Women's team rebounded from its tough loss on Thursday against Israel with a resounding 7-0 win over Germany. For complete soccer results, check out www.maccabiah.com.
 
Cricket: Canada matched up against Great Britain yesterday in their second last round robin game. They came out hitting well, but in the end, lost the contest 102-101 and Great Britain had 10 wickets in hand. Canada's last round robin game is on Sunday against India and the outcome will determine whether or not they will be playing for a medal on Monday.

Basketball Update: On Friday, many of our hoops team hit the court. Here are there results: U16 Boys beat Brazil 44-42; Master's Men's team fell to USA 80-75; and Open Men's team lost to Israel 110-75. Our Open Women's team will play for Bronze eitherSunday or Monday (yet to be determined).